Freshman Dixon proves he’s ready to lead Rebels

They said all the right things before Saturday night, but you sort of got the feeling it was because locker room allegiance demanded such public backing.

They said Travis Dixon was a quarterback to be counted on, believed in, followed. They said it because, well, what else would you expect given the situation?

They can say it and look in your eye now.

On a night UNLV football played its collective heart out before yielding to the nation's fifth-ranked team before a sea of red more than 38,000 strong at Sam Boyd Stadium, Dixon grew up in a way that demands he must now be considered this program's long-term option at the game's most critical position.

No matter who might find himself with a healthy knee one day.

On a night the Rebels lost to Wisconsin 20-13, a redshirt freshman who a few months back was destined to be a mere spectator in such an vital game showed he can more than keep his team in the thick of things against a quality opponent.

The future of Rocky Hinds as a Rebels quarterback today is more unsure than the hands of Wisconsin receivers. Hinds is apparently rehabilitating his latest knee injury and isn't required to attend practice or team meetings, which is bizarre (not to mention unexplained by those in charge) in itself.

But whether or not Hinds again wears a UNLV jersey -- and what would suggest that might happen? -- Dixon has shown enough in two weeks to believe the Rebels could be far more competitive than first imagined with him behind center.

UNLV coaches spent the first half of a season-opening victory against Utah State last week protecting Dixon like a mother bird might her chicks. Since then, they have released him from the nest.

He finished 23 of 36 for 258 yards passing with a touchdown and an interception against a Badgers defense that didn't overly bother him. Dixon's one obvious mistake, one he will undoubtedly think about for days, was an early fourth-quarter interception with his team leading 10-9. A defender hung on his leg before the released the ball. It's a throw he doesn't make a year from now. Maybe sooner. It's a forced throw he can't make. He panicked. Redshirt freshmen do that sometimes.

Wisconsin ultimately turned the mistake into three points and a 12-10 lead, but Dixon again directed the Rebels far enough downfield (11 plays, 49 yards, 4:32) to allow Sergio Garcia's left foot to give UNLV a one-point lead with under eight minutes remaining.

You can learn a lot about a quarterback in just one series, given the opponent and significance of the moment. Dixon made a huge statement the second time UNLV had possession, one that suggested the Rebels weren't about to wallow in a betting line that said they were nearly four touchdowns inferior to a visiting team.

The Rebels last season had a multitude of issues that led to a 2-10 record, but one glaring problem was an inability to sustain drives. To keep what little good they earned offensively going. To allow their defense more than a few breaths every several minutes or so.

To put together anything like this:

In leading UNLV to a 7-0 first-quarter lead, Dixon drove the Rebels 80 yards in 14 plays over 7:30. More importantly, he converted four times on third down. An 18-yard pass on third-and-2. A seven-yard rush on third-and-4. A 21-yard pass on third-and-14. A 5-yard touchdown pass on third-and-goal.

Drives like that against opponents like this creates the kind of confidence Dixon then displayed throughout the game. It's that belief that you first have to prove capable of existing in the same room as the monster before you can go ahead and slay it.

The last-minute game-winning drive that often defines a quarterback's resume must wait for Dixon. He really didn't have much of a chance to orchestrate one, handed the ball on his own 14 with 1:46 left and trailing by seven.

The hope of a first-down completion eventually dwindled into a series stopped with two sacks and a fourth-down incompletion. It would have been a heck of a story had Dixon been able to pull something off there. Something tells me opportunity will knock again for him.

Losses like this sting a little longer when you are trying to prove you belong. UNLV couldn't have asked for a better effort, for a defensive showing that was terrific in so many ways, for a gameplan that certainly matched those from such a highly rated team.

Maybe the sting can be lessened a bit with this truth: Travis Dixon before Saturday was the guy they said could be a leader. Travis Dixon this morning really is one.

Ed Graney's column is published Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. He can be reached at 383-4618 or egraney@reviewjournal.com.